This fabulous three generations of women sage examines how much we inherit from our mothers, like it or not. The story begins in 1960’s Detroit where Lila Pereira and her two siblings grow up with a constantly angry, deeply physically abusive Dad who has their Mom committed to an asylum as part of his bullying. Having never seen her Mom since age 2, Lila ends up both serving as the lightning rod for her father’s abuse as a protection for her sister and brother, as well as galvanizing herself to escape from his household wrapped in the keen ambition tied to survival.

Lila emboldens herself to put everything she has into rising the ranks of print media to become the executive editor and award winning journalist of D.C.’s Washington Globe, a fictional rival to the Washington Post. Along the way she marries compassionate Joe, who’s the only child of a very wealthy family, and with whom she has three daughters. But the deal is that Joe knows of Lila’s unrelenting ambition and agrees to take on the nurturing parent role.

Grace, their youngest daughter, deeply resents her Mom’s constant absenteeism and parenting by proxy by Joe. Graces feels emotionally neglected, endlessly resentful, and deeply judgmental about her Mom’s perceived parenting failures. Grace also cannot stop wondering about what happened to Lila’s Mom- did she die in the asylum? Escape? Grace, in an act of rebellion writes a thinly disguised novel about her Mom’s life that becomes the talk of the town.

As Grace goes on the hunt to find out what happened to her grandmother, the revelations pour forth about how many traits these three women share in common, and how this deeply impacts each of their parenting approaches.
Susan Rieger’s writing is moving, lyrical, deeply insightful as she sweeps you into this sprawling family saga. She challenged me to thoughtfully reflect on how I approached parenting my two kids, juggling Mom-hood with professionalism, and the trade-offs inherit in both loving your kids and finding personal fulfillment.

A novel that stands out among the best of 2024.

Thanks to Random House, The Dial Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book, though I was thrown off a bit by some minor controversy related to some of the dialogue in the book being borrowed in some way from other (well-known, quotable) authors. When I learned that, the dialogue that was so enjoyably quippy and interesting was hijacked in my mind by the question of whether it was borrowed or original. However, over time (and more reading), I came to wonder whether it being borrowed even matters. The content/story is original, so if the author drops in phrases she either internalized or even intentionally borrowed, does it take away from from her creation? I’m not sure.

The story itself is really good. I loved her exploration of the idea of whether the way a mother *is* can be transferred to the daughter even in absence (as with Lila and Zelda) or when the daughter may not want it (as with Grace and Lila). The tale told is unique and propulsive, and I wanted to know what happened to Zelda! The discovery was well-explored, too, which I appreciated more than if it was just quickly answered. Overall I really liked this and can see upping my rating with time and perhaps more understanding of the “controversy” around the borrowed text.

This was amazing, emotional, inspiring, thought provoking. I want to buy a copy for all the ladies in my family.This is such an in-depth read about three generations of women who each are strong in their own ways. Probably one of my favorite reads this year.

One of the best books I have ever read!. Three generations of women are so affected by past and present discrepancies in their families lack of knowledge of the past.
Lila has a horribly abusive father and is incapable of being a good mother in the conventional way so she leaves it up to her husband Joe to take over that role with her three daughters. Her own mother left when Lila was only two years old and she never saw her again. This profoundly affected her ability to mother her own children and instead threw herself into her job as a reporter on a large newspaper. Her youngest daughter, Grace, was very resentful and always felt abandoned by her mother's lack of attention.
As time goes by the children grow up and each make a good life for themselves but there is a unexpected twist at the end you won't see coming. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys reading family sagas.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

I struggled immensely to finish this book… I’m not sure if it was the style of dialogue, the extremely slow character development and plot line, or perhaps that it simply wasn’t a book well suited for me. When I read the synopsis, I was sure the character relationships would reel me in, but I never grew attached to any character or their outcomes. It was an interesting enough concept and the mystery of ‘what happened to Zelda’ was the most intriguing aspect of what otherwise felt like hiking through mud.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book

This is a touch review to write. The book was wonderful and beautifully written. It tugged at my heart in so many ways.

Three generations of women are told about in this story. Zelda was a very abused mother. She had three children. Two little girls and a son. She was put into a mental hospital when the youngest child, Lila, was only two. Lila received the brunt of the abuse. She was mouthy they said. Their father was a horrible man. Lila married and had three daughters. The youngest is Grace. Grace is the one that you will hear the most about and from.

Lila and her siblings were told that their mother died in the mental hospital. There was no funeral and no death certificate. When Lila went away to college she never looked back. She did keep in touch with her brother and sister but their father she hated. She went on to marry a wonderful man and had three girls. She was also a top rated reporter. She gave work her heart and soul. Her husband was a lawyer and more of a mother to their children. She loved them but didn't know how to be a mother.

Grace, the youngest child, went on to be a reporter also. Though she had some hard feelings for her mother she still loved her. She wrote a book and after her mother's death regretted writing it. It was based on her family just with different names. Grace always thought that Zelda was alive. Lila never cared. She never tried to find her. Grace wanted to know after her mother died.

This story goes through a lot of emotional things and will definitely make you shed some tears. I liked almost all of the characters. I despised Aldo, the father. He was a horrible person. I also did not like Zelda. While a part of me understood why she did what she did I just could not muster enough forgiveness for her. She left her children with a tyrant. An abuser. She knew what he was. Yes she had good reason but still she should have got her children. She should have fought for them. Even back in those years she could have gotten some kind of help. I just didn't feel sorry for her. I did feel for Lila. I adored Grace and Ruth. And Joe. And Frances....

This was a tough one for me to read but it was so good. So well written. It had the feels you expect. The story was told in a way that made you think about some things. Like how Lila was how she was and how her relationship with Grace was the way it was. They were so much alike in so many ways.

Thank you #NetGalley, #RandomHousePublishing #TheDialPress, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five stars!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press and NetGalley for an electronic advanced readers copy of this novel.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger is a well written and entertaining tale of one family. Lila Pereira has grown up with an abusive father and a mother who is committed to an asylum when Lila is only 2. Ambitious and smart, Lila manages to go to college and is determined to make a success of herself. On her journey, she meets and marries Joe, who is from an extraordinary well off family. He wants children of his own, but Lila is more concerned with her career- but they come to a compromise where Lila can still work and Joe raises their kids while still working as a lawyer.

This novel follows Lila, who turns out to be the managing editor of the Washington Globe, and her daughter, Grace, who looks like Joe but has the same tenacity as Lila. Grace becomes a successful reporter and also publishes a fictional retelling of Lila and her family.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a bit long, but the writing is sharp and the story was very interesting.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger tells the story of three generations of very strong women and their multigenerational family drama. Smart, strong, difficult, and complicated mother-daughter relationships are at the core of this novel. Told from the point of view of three different women, the reader is able to identify with these women and what they went through, as each tells their own story. It is a thought-provoking novel that will get you thinking about motherhood. It is a perfect book for book clubs.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #RandomHouse

When Lila and her siblings were young, their mother was institutionalized by her abusive husband Aldo. He later claimed she died. The children became his punching bag, finding no solace from their grandmother.

Lila realizes her life will only get better if she creates a new version of it. She marries Joe, who adores her and gives her space to grow. With talent and hard work, Lila becomes a journalist and eventually makes it to the top of her field as Executive Editor of the The Washington Globe.

Joe wants children, but Lila’s had no model of a home life from which she could draw. She didn’t envision motherhood as her path. Lila’s abusive father instilled in her a different kind of fight. She tells a friend that Aldo’s father beat him, and he thought it made a man of him. “I suppose it made a man of me, too,” Lila says. However this might be interpreted, one thing this story demonstrates is that Lila follows a career path of a typical executive who lives at the office and misses her kid’s milestones. Joe is the parent who is home for dinner each night. This arrangement is accepted when the roles are reversed. But. Lila’s youngest daughter, Grace, resents Lila for never being home.

Grace carries a notebook recording her mother’s comments. She later publishes an unflattering tell all, timing the release to overshadow one of Lila’s big events. Grace’s sisters tell her she is holding their mother to a different standard than men in the same situation, and Lila never seems to take offense or criticize. She even helps Grace meet her professional goals. This paints Grace in an even more unflattering light than she has already painted herself, if that’s possible.

This book is a study in a double standard that is pervasive in the workplace. Her husband and the men with whom Lila works are her champions. The pushback comes from a female child, who is jealous and resentful, willing to shame her mother publicly for not conforming to her antiquated biases. Grace, petty and selfish, is such an unlikeable character, it felt tortured at times getting through some chapters.

It’s likely many with sympathize with Grace, might feel they have been in her shoes. As the saying goes, there is no excuse for bad behavior. This is the standard that’s being applied here. After all, standard setting, whether fair or not, is a theme.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing—Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The author was trying to do too much with this book. It was reminiscent of The Mothers by Brit Bennett at times. The characters were generally unlikeable and could be hard to root for. The book mostly felt like it was written to sell, not to tell a story

I enjoyed this tremendously. It would be hard to explain what this book is about...the characters speak for themselves. Ahhhh, the characters. There are a lot of them. The author very kindly put a listing of pretty much all of them up front, but did a fantastic job helping you remember who they were throughout the story. The only time I had to go back and look was when I had put the book away for a little while to attend real life. Lila was a force. She was unapologetic for who she was, but never once shied away from understanding and owning her flaws. Her husband Joe was a patient and loving man, who met Lila where she was in life. Then we have the three daughters. You don't learn too much about the eldest two other than they were virtual twins, without actually being twins. The youngest daughter, Grace is where we send the second third of the book. And she struggles to understand and accept her mother and find her own footing in life. Her best friend, Ruth, is a best friend we should all have. As mentioned, there are many other characters within the pages, and it was fascinating to meet them all and see how their lives intertwined.

“‘All rich men are alike,’ Xander said. ‘Every poor man is poor in his own way.’”

This is a multigenerational and layered story about the power of women and the microscope we frequently find ourselves under.

But, the addition of the politics is what lost me. That is definitely a me problem but oh man does that turn me off.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator. There was just something about the tone of her voice that actually distracted me from the story.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Random House Publishing, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC.

This one was not for me with a slow, pondering writing style, many characters (there is a list of the multiple characters at the front of the book), many of whom were unlikeable. I just couldn’t engage with them nor care about them and that’s a problem for me as this is a very character-driven read. Halfway through, I decided to stop. Too many other books that I want to read to spend time on one that I wasn’t enjoying.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

"Like Mother, Like Mother" is a thought-provoking exploration of the intricate bond between mothers and daughters. The narrative beautifully captures the complexities of their relationship, highlighting both the challenges and the unconditional love that often defines it. The characters are well-developed, making it easy for readers to relate to their struggles and triumphs. The writing style is engaging and poignant, inviting reflection on familial ties and personal growth. Overall, it's a heartfelt story that resonates with anyone who has experienced the ups and downs of motherhood.

Thank you net galley for this amazing book.

I enjoyed this book almost as much as Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful! It has the same feel but instead of sisters, it’s about a mother-daughter relationship. I think this came along at just the right time in my life. Reiger has really captured the complicated dynamic of raising a daughter when you have a strained relationship with your own mother. The desperation of trying to do things differently without overcompensating. The hurt that comes with having a daughter who is determined to keep her distance from you. The healing that takes place after you stop trying to force it. I felt seen. Thankful for books and their power to heal.

I had seen this book hyped on social media so I had high expectations going in to it -- and it definitely lived up to them!

The book starts with the death of Lila, whose three daughters are mourning her in different ways. Grace is feeling somewhat guilty because she recently published a novel that did not put her mother in the best light, so when she is given a very specific task by her recently deceased mother, she does what she can to follow through with it.

I loved all of the characters, flawed as they might be, and enjoyed the way the novel seamlessly moved back and forth between them. I thought the way everything was revealed was really well done, and there was enough tension that I just wanted to keep reading.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves books about complex family dynamics, strong women, absent mothers, and good character development. This was my first by Susan Rieger and I am eager to check out her backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Like Mother, Like Mother follows three generations of women, Grace, her mother Lila, and Lila’s elusive mother Zelda who Lila believes died when she was a child. It focuses on how each generation affects the next.

I think one of the main themes within the story is acceptance. Lila had to accept that her mother was never coming back and Grace had accept that her mother would never be who she wanted her to be. What both girls endured through their lives was heart wrenching. I felt so bad for Grace as she struggled with her relationship with her mother.

It was wonderful to see Grace begin to let go of the grudges she held her whole life and evolve into someone who could look past her mother and grandmothers shortcomings.

This story involved a lot of discussion about domestic violence, so I would take that into consideration while reading.

Overall, it was a great story about family dynamics and trauma that can be carried through generations until someone decides to stop the cycle.

What an unexpected surprise this novel was! While telling the story of 3 generations of women, it examines motherhood that was thrust upon three women for various reasons and how that affected not only that generation but the generations to follow. There is so much to think about this story - much more than just what makes a good mother or a bad mother.

The story is told in 3 parts: we first hear Lila's perspective as she mothers while an editor of a D.C. newspaper, then Grace's story, one of Lila's daughter, before we finally hear the grandmother Zelda's story whom has been a "presence" in the first 2 parts. Reading the story not in time order was very interesting, making the ending even more powerful. Once I started reading, I was so engrossed and could not put it down.

This will be one of my top books of the year because I completely enjoyed the entire reading experience and continue to think about these women every day.
Many thanks to #RandomHouse #TheDialPress and #NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a character driven story of a multi-generational family with very strong woman. While Lily Pereira is the beginning focus of the story, it really goes back to her mother Zelda. Zelda was placed in an institution by her abusive husband when Lily was only 2 years old. Lily has an older brother, Polo, and an older sister, Clara. Lily takes the brunt of the abuse from her father and stands up to him.
The book is written in three parts, starting with Lily then moving to Lily’s youngest daughter Grace, and then lastly to Zelda. The author includes a list of the “Cast of Characters”, which I initially found very useful to refer to, but you will soon know these characters like members of your family and become very familiar with their roles in the story.
Lily is a brash woman, especially given the life she had with an abusive father, who becomes a top-notch journalist. She eventually rises to the top of her career and becomes the executive editor of The Washington Globe. She marries Joe but states that she has no motherly feelings towards children. They do have three daughters whom Joe raises like a mother would. Lily loves them and would protect them with her life but is not a conventional mother at all. While this doesn’t appear to bother the two older daughters, who are so close in age they are often times viewed as twins, the younger daughter Grace struggles with her mother’s role. She feels abandoned by her.
Grace also becomes a writer, writing a fictitious novel, The Lost Mother, about her family. But she was always curious about her grandmother Zelda and whether or not she was still alive. Grace goes onto search for what happened to her grandmother.
Many of the characters were extremely likable from the start- especially Joe , Lily’s husband, Grace’s college roommate Ruth, and Joe’s mother Frances, who is a tough cookie and extremely generous.

This novel is all about mother-daughter relationships, family, marriage, ambition, not knowing who you really are, stories and lies, politics, and genealogy. There is also a mystery involved as the family (and the reader) try to put all the family pieces together.

Many thanks to RandomHouse and NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on October 29, 2024.

3.75 stars rounded up. I enjoyed this novel (although the ending felt a little rushed). Grace was an interesting character - I both liked and didn't like her. She seems driven and determined, but never thinks about the consequences of her actions until it's too late. Lila was very interesting. Listen, all of the characters are flawed, which is sort of the point of this novel - where you come from helps determine who you are.

"Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has—brains, charm, talent, blond hair—Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn’t mind—until he does.

But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House correspondents’ dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila’s shadow, yet the more she resists, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother. In the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila’s mother, Grace’s grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don’t know where you came from?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/The Dial Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.